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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362408">Nose to Nose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/firbolging/pseuds/firbolging'>firbolging</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Body Image, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, References to Trent, references to murder</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:15:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362408</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/firbolging/pseuds/firbolging</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hello?” she called out softly. “Mr. Freak?”</p><p>Calm as anything, a voice replied from the dark side of the glass, “It’s Mr. Widogast. Shouldn’t you have run away screaming by now?”</p><p>“I didn’t get the chance.” She crept closer. “What do you do to make people so scared?”</p><p>“I just show them my face.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>156</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Nose to Nose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/gifts">pinkevilbob</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Pink asked for Monstrous!Caleb and I hope I delivered! Loosely based on the film Penelope.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Nicodranas was a vibrant coastal town with very little to offer Jester in the way of excitement. Such was the consequence of having Marion Lavorre for a mother. Once someone had heard the Ruby of the Sea sing, there was little else that could compare. Not only that, but there was very rarely anything new to see. The same ocean crashed into the same rocks. The same priceless paintings hung in the same ornate art galleries. Twenty-five years of retreading the same old path in the same city had given her life an almost painful feeling of repetition. So familiar was Jester with every cobble of every street in Nicodranas that, almost the moment the unfamiliar advertisements for the carnival were plastered onto walls, she had one in her pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my God, mama, look at this!” she cried, waving the flier in Marion’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this?” asked Marion, leaning in to read.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A carnival.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like a circus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But with games and side shows and, look, even a petting zoo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, isn’t that something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you gonna come with me?” said Jester, knowing very well that Marion would not venture past the confines of the Chateau for anything less than a natural disaster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment the carnival opened, Jester was alone at its gates, coin in hand. Entry was five coppers, with the disclaimer of further ticket purchases inside. She toured what had once been a meadow and was now filled with tents and stalls, starting from the most interesting to the least. After petting every sheep, goat, and pig, after missing every throw and aim game, and after watching every display of magic which could not have been (and most certainly was not) performed by anyone of lesser repute than archmage, Jester found herself at a pinstriped two-story tent. Red and white. Like a peppermint. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was where she was supposed to see the freak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Step up, folks!” called out the bright and toothy, human vendor. “Last showing of the night. See the most horrific creature in all of Wildemount. The truly disturbing product of man and monster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester wondered what poor orc or tiefling had donned a costume for this spectacle. It seemed disproportionately pedestrian when compared to the rest of the carnival. Still, she had nothing else left to do except walk home, so she stepped up and bought a ticket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten copper please,” said the vendor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester did not often bat an eyelid at pricings, but this sounded like a mistake. Nothing else, not even the entry fee, had cost more than five coppers a ticket. Curiosity peaking, Jester paid the man and fell into line with the growing crowd. Once thirty eager spectators had been counted and ticketed, the final showing of the night began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vendor’s voice boomed as they entered the tent, “Now, this is by far our most unique attraction. The man with the head of a beast. It’s a tragedy, really, but he’s chosen to use his curse to bring joy to others and there’s nothing less monstrous than that. Remember that when you see him. Looks are only skin deep.” Inside, there was a wooden construct, poles in four corners holding up a splintering ceiling. A lone ladder stood in the middle. The vendor paused at the ladder and spoke on as they filtered around him, “He might look ferocious and even disturbing, some people have fainted at the sight, but he won’t hurt you. He can’t.” He broke off to laugh horribly. “There’s always a barrier between him and you fine, regular folks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester caught a halfling woman glancing at her curled horns and gave a toothy grin in reply. If, after all this fanfare, there was just a tiefling waiting for them above.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One by one, they climbed the ladder as one by one, the minutes ticked by. Jester could only assume it was to build the suspense. As was the five-foot distance they were asked to keep from the large dark window that ran through the room, running from ceiling to floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And now,” cried the vendor, “the lights.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dim orbs of light which were dotted above their heads went out entirely. Then, a second later, the once dark window began to glow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A scream rang out from the front of the crowd and Jester craned her head to try and get a look. More screams followed, however, and panicked members of the public began to flee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Single file!” came the vendor’s voice, punctuated with a cackle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester was knocked to her knees, palms stopping her from falling entirely onto her face. It stung a little, but it was nothing compared to her irritation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” she breathed, crawling towards the edge of the crowd to wait out the hysteria.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lights switched back, the glass darkening and the room brightening, as each spectator climbed down the ladder as quickly and safely as possible. Jester had not originally been bothered about seeing this beast. Her curiosity had slowly mounted until, finally, it had become insatiable. Knocked to the floor, missing the spectacle, and watching a fearful flock bolting had a funny effect on people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With measured patience and an eye on the vendor, she found the perfect moment to vanish from sight. It was close. She appeared again only a few seconds later, but the invisibility had lasted long enough for the vendor to clear the room before turning his back and beginning his own descent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once another minute had passed, Jester whispered a quick thanks to the Traveler and got to her feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” she called out softly. “Mr. Freak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calm as anything, a voice replied from the dark side of the glass, “It’s Mr. Widogast. Shouldn’t you have run away screaming by now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t get the chance.” She crept closer. “What do you do to make people so scared?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just show them my face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester had reached the glass. Nothing from the other side was any clearer. Just darkness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you just gonna stay in the dark?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not dark on my side. The glass has a basic enchantment on it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you drop the enchantment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you won’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to frighten you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty hard to frighten,” she said. A painful handful of silent seconds passed before Jester couldn’t handle it any longer. “So… can you see me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “How do I know you’re not lying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are… blue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gave a shrug of concession before replying, “And you are?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cursed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like by an evil witch cursed? Or your life is just so terrible it feels like you’re cursed?” she asked, lowering herself to the floor so she might sit cross-legged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignoring her question, Mr Widogast said, “You’re getting yourself comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you want me to leave?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then is it okay that I sit down while we talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose. I’ll join you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester looked around expectantly for a secret door to swing open and reveal the man. After a moment she realised what he had meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you on the floor too?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ja. Now I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of like a sleepover then. Should we share secrets? I can go first. This is my first sleepover. Now you go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay… this is not my first sleepover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it is my first sleepover in some years,” he added. “Are you planning on staying all night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably not,” said Jester. “I should probably leave pretty soon actually. Before it gets late.” She was about to push herself up from the floor when something occurred to her. “Hey, do you sleep up here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my bedroom, yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s pretty sad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have all the necessities.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you never get to leave this tent?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only when we’re on the road. Then I get to hide in the back of a wagon. My boss, ah, doesn’t want anyone getting a glimpse for free.” Then, with bright bitterness he said, “I am the star attraction after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? More than the baby goats?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree, it’s ridiculous. Those goats are adorable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She giggled with uncertainty and wished she could see his face. Just to read his expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Mr Widogast?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Call me Caleb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Caleb, you can call me Jester.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you Jester.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling into silence, another stretch of seconds passed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, she said, “I guess you’re not gonna show me your face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve enjoyed talking to you. It would be a shame for our conversation to end with you screaming and running from me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you, I’m pretty hard to frighten.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s not put it to the test, though, ja?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I will just come back tomorrow night and see for myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re that curious then I suppose there’s nothing I can do to stop you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A little more silence and then, “Goodnight, Caleb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Jester.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Once she was warm beneath her own bedsheets, Jester pulled out her journal. She fell asleep sketching a man with the head of a pig.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The carnival advertised being in town for the next month and Jester intended to see Caleb’s true face before it packed up and moved on. On its second night of being open, she went directly to the two-story tent. Only once the coin had been exchanged and the ticket was in her hand did she hesitate. The crowd around her was gathering, whispering of the beast above. If they had taken the time to sit and speak with him, she thought. To remember that he was still, after all, a person. Not a goat or a sheep or a stack of cups to throw balls at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Guilt washed over her, and she pocketed the ticket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” she said to the vendor. “When is the last showing of the night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eleven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, weren’t you here last night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a problem?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all. It’s nice to know someone’s willing to brave the beast’s face twice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a flicker of hope that he might be speaking kindly of Caleb, but then she saw his greedy eyes flicker to his money pot and knew it was himself he was thinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester forced a smile and said, “I’ve got an interest in the monstrous. I think I’ll be back a third time, even. Maybe a fourth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s all the same to me so long as you’ve got the coin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She busied herself with the goats until it was time for the last showing. With a flash of her ticket, she began to repeat her movements of the previous night. The only difference being that this time she was on the floor before the first scream. The crowd fled, Jester vanished, and the vendor gave a brief glance around the room before descending.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caleb’s voice drifted from the other side of the glass, “You’re back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester looked down and saw her body was once again visible. Standing and dusting herself off, she said, “I told you I would be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re still here so you must have missed my face again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or maybe I’m just that brave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, not everyone could run from you,” she said, stepping closer to the glass. “The vendor doesn’t run. The rest of the staff must be able to see you sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re used to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or maybe you’re not quite as terrifying as all the build-up makes out. Maybe the lights play a trick with the shadows.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little. Showmanship goes a long way. As does herd mentality.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m not in a herd right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled. “No. I’m still not a pretty sight, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say so.” Jester resumed her cross-legged position from the night before. “I didn’t come to see you, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I changed my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you come back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As though it were obvious, she said, “I wanted to talk to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, they talked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to talk about?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously, there’s a whole story behind this,” she said, gesturing to the glass. “But I get the feeling you don’t want to talk about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a long sigh. “There’s not much to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were just born like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. But I am like this now and there are very few other places I could earn a living with this face, believe me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, when you said you were cursed…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The real question is,” he said. “How does a vibrant young woman such as yourself have nothing better to do than sit with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think I’m vibrant?” she teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can see you, remember.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was smiling as she said, “Nicodranas is pretty boring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For me. I’ve never been anywhere else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can understand that. I was desperate to escape my hometown by the time I was eight years old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess some dreams do come true.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caleb chuckled and it warmed her heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t actually seen Nicodranas,” he said. “I haven’t actually seen much of anywhere, to be honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just stuck in the back of that caravan, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence before he sighed, “Sorry. I forget you can’t see me. I just shrugged.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay.” The silence stretched longer. “Are you shrugging now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I’ll tell you if I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” One beat. Then another. “Hey, do you want me to tell you about Nicodranas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was the second night. The third, Caleb described the rural village he grew up in. Jester tried very hard to imagine such a place. Caleb, in turn, said he tried very hard to imagine the ocean. The next night she brought her journal to show him sketches of waves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s what? Are you pointing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The pig thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” she cried, turning the page so she could look at it. “That was supposed to be you.” She heard him snort. “Well, I don’t know what you look like, do I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that it’s just-” he broke off to snort again. “It’s very flattering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then you are welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The days turned to weeks and Jester knew more about Caleb, how he loved to read (nonfiction though, bizarrely); how his family had grown green beans; how his hair was red; how he had an awful habit of staying up all night studying. Though his condition and face remained a mystery, she was able to picture him better each day. Not his features, of course, but his mannerisms; how often he shrugged and how often she could make him laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was nothing she did not tell him in return. He knew her mother’s name and occupation; how she had hated studying piano; how she painted her own bedroom walls; how her best friend was a god.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s where you get your powers then?” asked Caleb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester had not realised quite how anxious she had been to tell him about the Traveler until he responded without judgement. Her mother had not mocked her, but there had always been an underlying tone of disbelief. Like she had imagined him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s super powerful,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know much about religion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could start following the Traveler. Maybe he could help you lift the curse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps. Perhaps there is no way to lift it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There weren’t any conditions or anything? Like, when you were first cursed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There was. Not to break the curse, but to help me control it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester knew he could see her and tried very hard not to show just how excited she was by this sudden openness on his part. Three weeks of speaking and he had revealed nothing further of his monstrous nature. She stilled and listened. Not pushing but waiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caleb’s familiar sigh filtered through. “I am a product of a terrible system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” she said. Out of instinct more than anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you how desperately I wanted to learn my home, to learn. I was a rather brilliant child and I was accepted into the Empire’s most prestigious academy. More than that, I was selected out of my whole class, just me and two others, to study closely with our teacher. We were special. So, we got special treatment. We were gifted the power of monsters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your teacher cursed you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He called if a gift and that was how we saw it. It was only when the gift had been given that the terms were fully laid out. The monstrous consumed our exteriors first. Then, with the proper steps, we would be able to turn the monstrous inwards. Our appearances would return to normal, but our capabilities would become unimaginable.” He swallowed so hard that she heard it. “But I wasn’t willing to take that step.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” she breathed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We had to feed the monstrous spirit. In cold blood.” Her own blood turned cold and her chest turned tight. Something in her face must have betrayed this change because he said, “I told you I was frightening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head frantically. “No. No, I’m not frightened of you, Caleb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose I’m too pathetic to be afraid of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re brave. I think you’re kind. And I think you need to get out of this awful place where they treat you like an animal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where do you suggest I go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged. “We could start with the ocean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not reply for a moment and then, when he did, he said, “Sorry. I was shaking my head. Could we talk about something else please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was enough panic in his voice for her to concede. After all, there was still a week left for her to convince him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a newfound sickness in her stomach as she handed over the copper each night. Everything else was the same, though. She had quickly perfected her duck and hide routine, just as he had perfected diverting the conversation away from anything substantial. They continued this dance until the carnival’s penultimate night in Nicodranas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the vendor descended and Jester reappeared, she stood up straight and said, “Don’t leave with them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jester,” he said wearily. “I have nowhere else to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think you could find a way to cure yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that matters. Even if I could, it would take too long, I would have to go out in public, looking like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Show me,” she snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Show me. I need to know if you’re just being silly. I need to know what I’m working with. Maybe I could get you a really cool veil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Caleb’s turn to snap. “Why does it matter to you what I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester’s nose and eyes burned lightly with coming tears. Clearing her throat, she said, “I thought you were supposed to be smart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could reply, she spun on her heel and climbed down that ladder, faster than ever before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jester!” he called after her, but she kept on going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her journal lay forgotten that night.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The following day passed painfully slowly. There was no way she was going to let him leave without saying goodbye. There was no way she was going to let him leave at all. At breakfast she felt sick with anticipation. At lunch she felt restless with anger. After an early dinner, she had reached a terrible middle ground of a sick stomach and restless legs. She was outside the gates before the carnival opened and she was first in line for the first showing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry ma’am,” said the vendor. “The freak has taken ill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean? Is he okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so. Just not feeling up to being screamed at tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he taking visitors?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vendor fixed her with a curious stare. “Have you not had your fill of him yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please. I want to speak to him before you move on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After sighing long and hard, he said. “Tell you what. You pay me double for a ticket and you can go up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Sure. Fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She practically poured the contents of her purse into his greedy hands before running into the tent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Caleb!” she cried, climbing as fast as she could. “Are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was completely dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Caleb?” she repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not reply. Only half able to see, Jester stumbled towards the glass and knocked against it. Nothing. She pressed her ear to it. Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” she breathed. “Shit, shit, shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tears came hard and fast as she slumped to her knees. Her own choked sobs almost drowned out the sound of a scream from somewhere down below. Heart pounding, she made her way back out into the meadow. Screams and jeers punctuated her every step, feeding her hope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she burst out of the tent, Caleb’s voice rang out clear, “Everybody feast your eyes upon the freak! Completely free of charge!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jester laughed through her tears, pushing through the crowd until she could see the back of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” she said. He whipped around to face her. “Hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t sure you’d come again,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crowd had fallen into jeering above screaming. Many of them had moved on entirely. Caleb’s showmanship really left a lot to be desired. Jester could only laugh. He fell silent, staring at her. Practically daring her to make her move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” she repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could not quite believe she was finally looking at Caleb, that she could finally see the quirk of his smile and the sparkle of his eyes. Still laughing, she seized his face in her hands and pressed a firm kiss to his mouth. He smiled widely into her kiss before she broke it to press another to his cheek, then a handful to his other cheek, to his jaw, to his temple, before burying her own face into his shoulder. Caleb froze in her embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to go so many places,” she whispered, squeezing tighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for the theatrics,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for running away from you last night. I won’t do it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He relaxed a little and clutched her closer. Jester pulled away just enough so that they stood nose to nose. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Please comment/kudos if you enjoyed</p></blockquote></div></div>
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